Promoting ICT Education in Nigerian Public Primary Schools

A world without technology is unimaginable. Children without ICT
skills even more so! This is why at Oando Foundation, the
provision of ICT Centres in public primary schools and ICT
knowledge is priority.

The Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme launched in Nigeria
on 30th September 1999 makes primary education in Nigeria
universal, free and compulsory. In order to prepare children for
the future with the ability to solve problems creatively, ICT was
included in the primary school curriculum by the National
Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) with the
underlying emphasis on achieving the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG’s) and Education for All (EFA) Goals. Despite all these
efforts, the use of ICT in public primary schools in Nigeria is
almost non-existent. This stark contrast is puzzling as
technology and innovation are fast rising and Internet usage has
grown faster in Africa than any other continent.

Oando Foundation, established in 2011, aims to support the
Nigerian Government in meeting the Millennium Development Goals
to achieve Universal primary education. Through the foundation’s
signature project, Adopt-A-School Initiative (AASI), key emphasis
is placed on improving the learning environment in public
schools. One of AASI core program components is ensuring each
adopted school is equipped with an ICT/Creative Centre to enhance
the learning capabilities of pupils The ICT Centre will
facilitate kids exposure to computer education and other
technology as they connect with the rest of the world via the use
of the Internet.

The foundation recognizes that IT is an essential skill for young
children. Pupils need to be able to use the latest technology to
gain an effective education in the twenty first century. To this
end, Oando Foundation unveiled its pilot (ICT) Centre at
Archbishop Taylor Primary School, Lagos and will replicate this
model in all its adopted schools across the country. The new ICT
Centre is one of six centres Oando Foundation plans to establish
in 2014

To further boost the impact of the ICT Centre, Oando Foundation
has partnered with the United States Global Partnership
Initiative and the LIONS@FRICA to launch a new initiative called
AfriCoderDojo to teach 21st century computer coding skills to
students between 7-17 years old. The partnership is based on the
global CoderDojo scheme, and relies on a volunteer network of
implementers and mentors to teach youth the basics of coding.

In addition, Microsoft Nigeria is supporting the foundation’s
initiative by training teachers in its adopted schools to ensure
they have the relevant ICT Skills and certification to aid
effective transfer of knowledge to pupils.